Loverens Mill Cedar Swamp

If the idea of going to visit a swamp for fun leaves you cold, you are in good company. But at the right time of year, these can really be interesting and enjoyable places to visit, and I highly recommend Loverens Mill Cedar Swamp in Antrim NH. The swamp is actually a small part of a much larger “conservation landscape” of contiguous land preserved by such groups as The Nature Conservancy, the Society for the Protection of NH Forests, NH Audubon, and others. So there are probably lots of other opportunities and reasons to visit the area. But it was the swamp that attracted me, because it’s owned by The Nature Conservancy and as usual, they had an excellent map and guide available and a short 3-mile trail for visiting.

Pink Lady’s Slipper

I visited this preserve in late May, which, thanks to the prolific flowers, might be one of the best times of the year to go. Probably any time in May will do.

Azalea with a visitor

Remnants of the 19th century are found along this stretch of the North Branch Contoocook River, and remains of the mill for which the site is named are visible on the short walk in from the parking area.

Old bridge crossing the Contoocook (N Branch)

The trail curls through the preserve, skirting the edge of the swamp, until it reaches a short boardwalk that extends into the swamp so you can get a better look at things. It’s probably the easiest way to get a closeup look at an Atlantic White Cedar tree.

A short boardwalk leads into the swamp

Tamarack (left) and Atlantic White Cedar (right)

From there the trail heads to Lookout Point, normally a good place to spot wildlife, although all I saw were turtles.

Azalea by the trail

From there the trail began its loop back to the parking lot. There were plenty of flowers in bloom in this part of the preserve.

Loverens Mill Cedar Swamp – not as gloomy as it looks

So this is a nice place to spend an hour or so, especially on a nice day. It can be prone to mosquitos later in the day so you may want to be prepared. Happy travels!

2 responses to “Loverens Mill Cedar Swamp”

Lots of Pink Lady Slipper orchids there all along the trail. Not sure of others but I’m sure it depends on exactly when you go. Good luck. By the way, if you like rare orchids, you might be interested in the Mt. Teneriffe Preserve in Milton. I also wrote a blog about it but went at the wrong time to see the rare orchids. Enjoy!